Written Answers Monday 11 January 2010

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason patients in the North of Scotland Cancer Network have to wait up to 131 days for an urgent referral for suspected melanoma and up to 147 days for a routine wait.

Nicola Sturgeon: Patients in the North of Scotland Cancer Network (NOSCAN) do not routinely wait as long as 131 days from urgent referral to first melanoma treatment. The latest published statistics show that for patients diagnosed with melanoma between April and June 2009 in NOSCAN, the median wait was 18 days, showing that half the patients received first treatment in that time. The 90th percentile was 46 days, showing that 90% of patients waited for a maximum of 46 days.

  Full explanations of the specific waits queried cannot be provided as this could lead to the patients being identified. However, some cancer journeys can take longer than the average patient pathway. In some instances, clinical teams may conclude that it is not in the best interests of the patient to be expedited along a pathway solely for the purpose of complying with a target. There is a 5% tolerance applied to the target to accommodate these circumstances.

  Patients with malignant melanomas are not always referred urgently as they can be undistinguishable from other lesions. Routine referrals do not come under any cancer access target, however this is changing as a result of the new access target announced in Better Cancer Care (a target of 31 days from decision to treat to first treatment) to be delivered by December 2011.

  Improvement work is taking place across cancer services to help meet this target.

Civil Servants

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions regarding the introduction of a living wage of £7 per hour for all civil service staff.

John Swinney: As part of their 2008 pay claim relating to staff below senior civil service level, in the core Directorates and Agencies which make up the Scottish Government main pay bargaining unit, the recognised trade unions sought a common minimum pay rate of £8 per hour. Although the Public and Commercial Services union subsequently withdrew from pay discussions, the other two unions – Prospect and the FDA – agreed to a three-year pay award from 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2011. In line with the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy, the pay award took positive steps to deal with low pay and, in particular, to ensure the minimum rate of pay for the lowest paid staff was comfortably above the national minimum wage. The current lowest rate of pay in Scottish Government main is £6.53 per hour (compared to the national minimum wage rate of £5.80) and this will increase to £7.23 per hour on 1 August 2010. We believe that these rates of pay strike a balance between providing value for money for the taxpayer and recruiting, retaining and motivating the lowest paid staff.

Civil Servants

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service staff initiated grievance procedures against their employer in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold statistics centrally on grievances raised by staff.

Civil Servants

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time is for dealing with grievance procedures across the civil service.

John Swinney: This information is not held centrally.

Civil Servants

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have been paid a settlement following disciplinary action in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09, broken down by directorate.

John Swinney: No settlement payments have been made to staff by the Scottish Government following disciplinary action.

Drug Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been (a) known and (b) estimated to have drug dependency issues at HMP Edinburgh in each year since 1970.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available, however SPS addiction testing information, relating to HMP Edinburgh, is published annually within the Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland report. This information is available from 1999 onwards and can be accessed using the following link:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/ISDbull.htm.

Energy Efficiency

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement regarding plans for European funding to be used for energy efficient retrofit.

Jim Mather: We have raised the issue of attracting funding for energy efficiency work in Scotland in our consultation document on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, and will give further details on this when we publish our plan in the spring of 2010.

Energy Efficiency

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with COSLA to encourage local authorities to work more closely with Partnerships for Renewables in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has had no such discussions with COSLA. Partnership for Renewables is a commercial venture led by Carbon Trust Enterprises Ltd and as such, any decision to work with them would be a matter for either COSLA or individual local authorities.

  The Scottish Government works with the Carbon Trust to help Scottish public bodies of all sizes to reduce their energy consumption and cut emissions through the Carbon Management Programme. As of May 2009, 49 organisations had completed the programme, including all local authorities and the Scottish Government itself.

  The Scottish Government is also committed to working closely with COSLA to ensure local authorities play their part in meeting our targets for renewable energy and carbon emissions. For example, COSLA is strongly represented in the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS), a partnership of government, industry and academia which is working to deliver our Renewables Action Plan.

Energy Efficiency

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scotland Office has assured the Scottish Government that it agrees to the early removal of barriers to rapid progress on renewable energy productivity and transmission to help Scotland make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is working closely with UK Government counterparts and other partners across a range of issues to achieve Scotland’s renewable energy potential. We are encouraged by recently televised comments from the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change on the need for a fair system for transmission charging and an electricity grid which is fit for purpose.

Enterprise

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what matters were discussed at the last meeting of the Small Business Consultative Group.

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish the minutes of the last meeting of the Small Business Consultative Group.

Jim Mather: The minutes of the last meeting of the Small Business Consultative Group on 11 May 2009 have been published on the Scottish Government website and can be accessed through the following link:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Enterprise/SBCG/Minutes/2009/11May2009.

Enterprise

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the representation that other parts of the United Kingdom have at the World Business Angels Association conference being held in Beijing.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has no information on attendees at this event but is aware that the event presented another opportunity for LINC Scotland and the Scottish Angel Network to broadcast their success to a wider international audience.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome following an influenza A (H1N1) vaccination have been diagnosed since October 2009, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Two cases of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), following H1N1 vaccination in the UK to date. There is no evidence across Europe of any vaccine-associated GBS. GBS is a naturally occurring condition and it is inevitable that cases will occur not long after vaccination, without the vaccine playing a role. This is particularly so over the winter period when pathogens that may cause GBS are circulating.

  The MHRA does not provide information on the location of these cases, given the very small numbers may mean that individuals could be identified.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the symptoms are of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Nicola Sturgeon: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) usually develops quickly, over a few days, but can sometimes develop gradually over a period of up to four weeks. Symptoms first appear one to three weeks after a minor infection, such as a cold or sore throat.

  Initial symptoms tend to start in the feet and hands and include tingling, numbness, unsteadiness and progressive muscle weakness. These symptoms soon spread up the limbs, affecting the legs and arms a few days later. Some people only have a mild form of the condition and their symptoms do not get any worse than a general feeling of weakness.

  In some cases, the muscle weakness progresses to temporary paralysis of the legs, arms and face, temporary paralysis of the respiratory muscles that control breathing, difficulty with eye movement and speech, difficulty with chewing or swallowing, difficulty with bladder control or digestion and slow heart rate or low blood pressure.

  The extent of paralysis varies with each case of GBS but the most serious cases can paralyse respiratory muscles and stop the patient from breathing.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome have been diagnosed in each year since 2007.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number of new cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) diagnosed in acute hospital care in Scotland in the last 10 years is as follows. Information on the number of cases of GBS is only available until year ending 2008.

  

 1999
 92


 2000
 99


 2001
 86


 2002
 95


 2003
 97


 2004
 111


 2005
 71


 2006
 88


 2007
 110


 2008
 109

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been an increase in the number of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and, if so, what the reason is for this.

Nicola Sturgeon: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) affects approximately 1,500 people in the UK every year. The trend in the number of new cases of GBS diagnosed in Scotland does not show a statistically significant increase between 1999 and 2008. Complete data for 2009 is not yet available.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome following an influenza A (H1N1) vaccination (a) have recovered and been discharged and (b) remain in hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitor all reports of side effects and publish weekly reports outlining these cases. There have been two suspected cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) reported in the UK to-date following H1N1 vaccination. Further information is awaited in order to fully assess diagnostic certainty. There is no evidence across Europe of any vaccine associated risk of GBS.

  The current condition of the two patients is unknown, however these cases were reported as not fatal. Eight in 10 people with GBS make a full recovery within a few weeks or months. One in 10 people become wheelchair-bound, or have permanent weakness or numbness. There is a 5% mortality rate from GBS.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28476 by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 November 2009, when the asset management system will be rolled out to NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: The asset management system will be rolled out to NHS boards on a phased basis between 19 January 2010 and 31 March 2010.

Housing

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many council houses occupied by one person have (a) two bedrooms, (b) three bedrooms and (c) four bedrooms, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: The best source of data on household size by number of bedrooms is the Scottish House Condition Survey. Due to the size of sample in this survey, it is necessary to combine data from different years to get reasonable sample sizes for local authority areas.

  The following table shows the number of single-person households in council housing with more than one bedroom, by local authority and based on Scottish House Condition Survey data for 2005-06, 2007 and 2008 combined.

  As these figures come from a survey, the figures are estimates and are also rounded to the nearest thousand. The 95% confidence interval is generally about +/- 1,000 for each local authority figure and about +/- 4,000 for Scotland. The 95% confidence interval is used to determine a range of values within which we believe the true value lies, for example we believe the Scotland total to actually lie somewhere between 81,000 and 89,000 households. The sample size for all of the individual local authority data is very small and therefore these results should be treated with caution.

  

 Local Authority
 Number of Bedrooms
 Total


 2
 3
 4


 Aberdeen City
 3,000
 -
 -
 4,000


 Aberdeenshire
 2,000
 -
 -
 3,000


 Angus
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 Argyll and Bute
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 Clackmannanshire
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 Dundee City
 4,000
 -
 -
 4,000


 East Ayrshire
 3,000
 -
 -
 3,000


 East Dunbartonshire
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 East Lothian
 2,000
 1,000
 -
 3,000


 East Renfrewshire
 -
 -
 -
 1,000


 City of Edinburgh
 6,000
 2,000
 -
 7,000


 Falkirk
 3,000
 1,000
 -
 4,000


 Fife
 7,000
 2,000
 -
 9,000


 Highland
 3,000
 -
 -
 4,000


 Inverclyde
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 Midlothian
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 Moray
 1,000
 -
 -
 1,000


 North Ayrshire
 4,000
 1,000
 -
 5,000


 North Lanarkshire
 9,000
 2,000
 -
 11,000


 Orkney Islands
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Perth and Kinross
 1,000
 -
 -
 2,000


 Renfrewshire
 2,000
 2,000
 -
 4,000


 Shetland Islands
 -
 -
 -
 -


 South Ayrshire
 1,000
 -
 -
 2,000


 South Lanarkshire
 4,000
 1,000
 -
 5,000


 Stirling
 1,000
 1,000
 -
 2,000


 West Dunbartonshire
 2,000
 1,000
 -
 3,000


 West Lothian
 3,000
 1,000
 -
 3,000


 Scotland
 69,000
 16,000
 -
 85,000



  Notes:

  "-" Less than 500 or zero.

  The sum of the columns and rows may not add up to the total due to rounding.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to apply the National Home Energy Rating to the private rented sector.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is currently consulting on options for improving the energy efficiency of housing, including housing in the private rented sector, through its consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan. These include options for setting regulatory requirements for energy efficiency standards in housing, including that in the private rented sector. The deadline for responses to the consultation was 5 January 2010.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which housing associations have accessed funds from the European Investment Bank and how much each received.

Alex Neil: Housing associations in Scotland have been allocated a total of £70 million, 20% of the total being made available across the UK by the European Investment Bank through The Housing Finance Corporation. The allocations to individual associations are given in the following table. However, the housing associations involved are still negotiating loan agreements with The Housing Finance Corporation and consequently none has yet accessed the funds.

  

 
£ million


 Dunedin Canmore
 10.0 


 Hanover (Scotland)
 5.0


 Home in Scotland (Home Group)
 20.0


 North Glasgow
 8.0


 Castle Rock (Places for People)
 5.5


 Prospect Community
 6.5


 Sanctuary
 10.0


 Thenew
 5.0


 Total
 70.0

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive over what period European Investment Bank funding has been provided to housing associations.

Alex Neil: The £70 million from the European Investment Bank, allocated to housing associations in Scotland by The Housing Finance Corporation, is for a loan period of 20 years.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive at what interest rate housing associations have obtained funding from the European Investment Bank.

Alex Neil: As no housing associations have yet drawn down their share of the £70 million allocated to them by The Housing Finance Corporation, it is too soon to know the interest rate obtained by each of them from the European Investment Bank. The timing of any draw down of funds is a matter for individual associations and The Housing Finance Corporation.

Influenza

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the provision of influenza A (H1N1) vaccine is slow and causing some of the at-risk groups to be turned away or vaccinations delayed.

Nicola Sturgeon: No. NHS Scotland has now received the total supplies required to vaccinate all those in the initial at-risk priority groups. They have also received all of the vaccine supply required to vaccinate children over six months and under five years in the second phase of the programme.

  The H1N1 vaccination programme was launched on 21 October 2009 and has proceeded with a phased roll out initially. The programme is progressing well and health boards have indicated that vaccination has been offered to all those in the initial priority groups and a mop up exercise is taking place to the end of January.

  The Scottish Government anticipates that the second phase of the programme will be completed by the end of January with some mop up activity into mid-February.

Influenza

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to support GPs and ensure that phone lines are not blocked by at-risk patients seeking vaccination against influenza A (H1N1).

Nicola Sturgeon: At the start of the vaccination programme, patients in the at-risk groups were asked to wait until they were contacted by their GP before making an appointment to have their vaccination. Health boards have indicated that vaccination has been offered to all those in the initial priority groups and a mop up exercise is taking place until the end of January. Anyone who is in the initial priority groups who had not yet has their vaccination is invited to contact their GP practice to arrange an appointment now.

  Phase two of the programme is offering vaccination to all children aged over six months and under five years. Vaccination of these children has commenced and will continue over the coming weeks. Parents of young children will be contacted by their health board or GP practice and invited for vaccination. We are asking parents to wait until they receive an invitation before contacting their GP practice in order to ensure that phone lines are free for emergency calls.

  The Scottish Government has also set up the Scottish Swine Flu Vaccination Helpline (08000 28 28 16) for patients seeking further information about the H1N1 vaccination. This is in addition to the NHS 24 helpline (08454 24 24 24) for anyone who thinks they may have swine flu. Both helplines are available to provide patients with accurate information whilst relieving the demand on GP practices.

Influenza

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on track to vaccinate the 1.2 million in the priority at-risk groups by 31 December 2009.

Nicola Sturgeon: The H1N1 vaccination programme is proceeding well and health boards have indicated that vaccination has been offered to all patients in the initial priority groups. A mop up exercise is taking place to the end of January.

  The second phase, for children over six months and under five years of age, has commenced and will continue over the next few weeks. We anticipate this will be completed by the end of January, with some mop up activity into mid-February.

Justice

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance and training exists for police forces, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Court Service on the application of the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government published guidance on the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 in November 2006. The guidance is available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/11/17153941/2 .

  Police forces have extensive guidance and training in place concerning child protection and offender management, which covers the 2005 act. Probationary training on child protection and offender management issues covers this legislation, ensuring that all new police staff will have an awareness of the legislation from the outset of their career. The legislation also forms a part of a number of specialised courses.

  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service make comprehensive guidance available to all legal staff on the 2005 act. Their sexual offences training course also covers aspects of the act.

Justice

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) prosecutions, (b) convictions and (c) cautions there have been for offences against a person under 16 under (i) section 7, (ii) section 8, (iii) section 9 and (iv) section 10 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 in each year since 2003.

Kenny MacAskill: Since 2003, one person has been prosecuted and convicted under section 7 of the Criminal Law Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1995 (in 2006-07), and one person found not guilty (in 2007-08). There have been no prosecutions under sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Act since 2003. Formal police cautions do not apply in Scotland. The latest year for which data is available is 2007-08.

Local Government

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had, or plans to have, discussions with the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers on the issue of executive pay in local government.

John Swinney: Executive pay in local government is properly a matter for local authorities themselves. They know the resources available to them overall and must make the management choices.

  The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers. Discussions cover a range of issues, including where appropriate public sector pay and other policy issues.

Local Government

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the housing debt is of each local authority.

Alex Neil: Information on the level of housing debt in each local authority is published annually in the Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure  official statistics publication. Data up to 31 March 2009 and projected levels as at 31 March 2010 were published online on 24 September 2009 and are available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/HRA2008-09.

  The excel table entitled Outstanding Debt shows the total capital debt on the council’s housing revenue account as at 31 March each year for those authorities that still retain housing stock. The table also shows a "debt per house" figure based on the number of houses owned by that authority.

Medical Records

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in addition to the clinical team caring for a patient, what individuals have the legal authority to access a patient’s medical records without explicit patient consent.

Nicola Sturgeon: Individuals working on behalf of a statutory inspection agency or regulatory body may access a medical record without the express permission of a patient.

  Records may also be made available to legal advisers as part of legal proceedings.

Medical Records

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive for what purpose individuals other than the clinical team caring for the patient can access a patient’s medical records without explicit patient consent.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are a range of inspection agencies and regulatory bodies such as the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, The Care Commission and GMC who have statutory powers to access an individual’s medical records as part of their duties to investigate matters such as tribunals, inspection of services, complaints, accidents or a health professional’s continued fitness to practice.

  In addition, in Scotland, the system of precognition means that there may be limited disclosure of information in advance of a criminal trial.

Medical Records

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions in the last three years patients’ medical records have been accessed by inspection teams in relation to (a) child protection and (b) general children’s services.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not centrally hold information on the number of occasions where patients’ medical records have been accessed by inspection teams in relation to (a) child protection and (b) general children’s services across the NHSScotland. NHS organisations are responsible for the processing of the organisations records including the disclosure to third parties such as inspection teams.

Parliamentary Questions

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to questions S3W-28340, S3W-28341, S3W-28342, S3W-28343, S3W-28344, S3W-28345, which received holding replies on 20 November 2009.

Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-28340, S3W-28341, S3W-28342, S3W-28343, S3W-28344 and S3W-28345 on 18 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Planning

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for the construction or development of hill tracks have been made to Scottish Natural Heritage and local authorities in each of the last five years.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29480 by Kenny MacAskill on 8 December 2009, how many prisoners were known to have drug dependency issues in each year since 1970, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is not available; however SPS Addiction Testing information, broken down per prison establishment, is published annually within the Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland Report. This information is available from 1999 onwards and can be accessed using the following URL:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/ISDbull.htm.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were assessed as illiterate in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29870 on 11 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were estimated to be illiterate in each of the last three years, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service does not have estimations of the number of prisoners who are illiterate for each of the last three years broken down by prison.

  Those identified at SQA Intermediate 1 level are deemed to be functioning at approximately foundation/general level at standard grade. Anybody at or below Intermediate 1 is considered to be lacking functional literacy.

  Based on current data of assessed literacy need for those who attend prison learning centres results show that:

  46% of young men who have engaged with the Polmont learning centre had a communication (literacy) level of less than SQA Intermediate level 1.

  64% of women who have engaged with the Cornton Vale learning centre had a communication (literacy) level of less than SQA Intermediate level 1.

  50% of male prisoners attending learning centres had a communication (literacy) level of less than SQA Intermediate level 1.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of prison literacy programmes.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  Her Majesty Inspectors of Education (HMIE) in conjunction with Her Majesty Inspectors of Prison (HMIP) inspect the education related provision provided within each prison. Their findings and recommendations are reported in the overall HMIP reports.

Prison Service

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many employees of the Scottish Prison Service are on secondment and to what organisations they are seconded.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service have five employees on secondment who are on secondment to the Scottish Government, Prison Officers Association, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons and Faith in Community (Scotland).

Rail Network

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of recent remedial work carried out on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line and who met those costs.

Stewart Stevenson: The construction cost of the recent remedial work carried out on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line is a matter for the contractor. There was no cost to the public purse.

Rail Network

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long the remedial work on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railway line took; over what time period it occurred, and whether the estimated date of completion was met.

Stewart Stevenson: After the design of the remedial works had been approved, track lowering and raising occurred between June and November, the majority of the work being completed during October. It had been estimated that these works would be completed in September but the works were delayed due to a requirement to obtain specialist plant and machinery.

Rail Network

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects further remedial work to be carried out on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line in the near future.

Stewart Stevenson: There are no planned further remedial works on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line.

Rail Network

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the value of any compensation claims submitted to Network Rail in relation to the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line and who will be responsible for paying this compensation.

Stewart Stevenson: Under Part 1 of the Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1973 compensation may be payable providing qualifying property owners along the new railway line can demonstrate that they have suffered financial loss due to devaluation of a property as a result of the re-opening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway line.

  Network Rail, as operators of the railway and who manage this process, have received 66 claims totalling £387,500. However, 29 of the applications received have not stipulated the amount of compensation being claimed. The validity of all claims and the amount of compensation that may be payable continues to be assessed.

  The Scottish Government is responsible for meeting the cost of successful claims.

Road Accidents

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal accidents there were on the A82 between Inverness and Crianlarich in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009.

Stewart Stevenson: The number of (a) fatal accidents and (b) non-fatal injury accidents on the A82 between Inverness and Crianlairich in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009 is shown in the following table:

  

 
 (a) Fatal Accidents
 (b) Non-fatal Injury Accidents


 2005
 4
 84


 2006
 5
 78


 2007
 7
 88


 2008
 2
 73


 2009*
 0
 51



  Note: * 2009 figures to August.

  Details of non-injury accidents are not held centrally. The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between two dates, e.g. due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns.

Road Accidents

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) non-fatal and (b) fatal accidents took place in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009 on the A82 section scheduled to be replaced by the Crianlarich bypass.

Stewart Stevenson: The number of (a) non-fatal injury accidents and (b) fatal accidents in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009 on the A82 section scheduled to be replaced by the Crianlarich bypass is shown in the following table:

  

 
 (a) Non-fatal Injury Accidents
 (b) Fatal Accidents


 2005
 1
 0


 2006
 1
 0


 2007
 1
 0


 2008
 1
 0


 2009*
 0
 0



  Note: * 2009 figures to August.

  Details of non-injury accidents are not held centrally. The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between two dates, e.g. due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns.

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding plans to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

Stewart Stevenson: The dualling of the A9 is one of the commitments to emerge from the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which sets out investment priorities over the next 20 years. The pace at which the dualling will take place will be determined by the availability of resources in future spending reviews.

  In terms of current progress, the Scottish Government has accelerated design work to dual the Birnam to Luncarty section and design work for Crubenmore is also programmed.

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the land required to dual the A9 is already available to Transport Scotland.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with landowners regarding the acquisition of land required to dual the A9.

Stewart Stevenson: All transport projects must pass through a series of statutory and design stages before they can proceed to the delivery stage.

  The land required to construct any project can only be identified once the road alignment has been determined. It is at that stage that discussions with landowners can commence.

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27119 by Stewart Stevenson on 23 September 2009, when it expects to complete its engagement with interested stakeholders and publish its vision for the A82.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with interested stakeholders, including Hitrans and SPT to discuss a vision for the A82. We will publish this vision in due course, following the conclusion of these discussions.

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the upgrading of the A82 to feature in a spending review in the current parliamentary session.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22639 by Stewart Stevenson on 5 May 2009, when it expects to publish a timetable for the upgrading of the A82.

Stewart Stevenson: Within the current programme, work is progressing to deliver improvements at Pulpit Rock and a new western bypass for Crianlarich.

  The delivery of other schemes identified in the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) will be considered in future spending reviews.

Roads

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding for road improvements in relation to each section of the A82 was allocated in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 and will be allocated for beyond 2009.

Stewart Stevenson: Expenditure for improvements on sections of the A82 trunk road in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 is shown in the following table:

  

 
2007-08
  (£ million)
2008-09 
  (£ million)
2009-10 
  (£ million)


 A82 South West Unit – Erskine Bridge to Balloch
 0.132
 0.000
 0.014*


 A82 North West Unit – Balloch to Inverness
 2.411
 5.473
 3.714*


 Total
 2.543
 5.473
 3.728*



  Note:* Estimated.

  The figures above include expenditure on road, bridge and safety improvements. We anticipate expenditure in 2010-11 of around £2.5 million, subject to prioritisation of programmes within the available budgets. Information on expenditure for improvements on the A82 in 2011-12 and beyond is not available as this depends on future programmes and availability of funding within the trunk road budget.

Scottish Government Travel

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flights it has booked but not used since May 2007.

John Swinney: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. Internal control arrangements are in place to ensure that all travel bookings require prior authorisation. In addition, the Scottish Government travel management provider has systems in place to allow for late cancellations if business requirements change.

Scottish Government Travel

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flights it has wholly or partly paid for but not used since May 2007.

John Swinney: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. Internal control arrangements are in place to ensure that all travel bookings require prior authorisation. In addition, the Scottish Government travel management provider has systems in place to allow for late cancellations if business requirements change.

Scottish Government Travel

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nights in hotel rooms it has booked but not used since May 2007.

John Swinney: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Scottish Government Hotel Booking Agent has systems in place to allow for late cancellations.

Scottish Government Travel

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nights in hotel rooms it has wholly or partly paid for but not used since May 2007.

John Swinney: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Scottish Government Hotel Booking Agent has systems in place to allow for late cancellations.

Sex Offenders

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many risk of sexual harm orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted under the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 in each year since 2005, broken down by police force area.

Kenny MacAskill: The following table details the number of risk of sexual harm orders that have been applied for and granted under the Protection of Children and the Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005, in each year since 2005, broken down by police force area.

  

 Police Force
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008
 2009


 Central
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Fife
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 Granted
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 Grampian
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 2
 1
 1


 Granted
 0
 0
 2
 1
 1


 Lothian and Borders
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Northern
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 1
 2
 0
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 Strathclyde
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Tayside
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Scotland
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 1
 5
 3
 2


 Granted
 0
 0
 4
 3
 2



  Risk of sexual harm orders will be strengthened by provisions in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill.

Sex Offenders

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sexual offences prevention orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted in each year since 2003, broken down by police force area.

Kenny MacAskill: The following table details the number of sexual offences prevention orders that have been applied for and granted in each year since 2003, broken down by police force area.

  

 Police Force
 2003*
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008
 2009


 Central
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 1
 0
 1
 1
 3
 6
 5


 Granted
 1
 0
 1
 1
 3
 6
 5 (3 interim)


 Dumfries and Galloway
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 Granted
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 Fife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 0
 3
 5
 2
 5
 5 (2 interim)


 Granted
 0
 0
 2
 5
 2
 5
 5 (2 interim)


 Grampian
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 1
 2
 17
 18
 8
 3


 Granted
 0
 1
 2
 15
 17
 7
 2


 Lothian and Borders
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 1
 2
 4
 3
 9
 7
 11


 Granted
 1
 2
 4
 3
 9
 7
 11


 Northern
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 2
 2
 6
 4
 5
 4
 5


 Granted
 2
 2
 6
 4
 5
 4
 5


 Strathclyde
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 0
 3
 1
 5
 6
 6
 7


 Granted
 0
 2
 1
 5
 6
 4
 6


 Tayside
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 1
 2
 0
 1
 1
 5
 4


 Granted
 1
 2
 0
 1
 1
 4
 4


 Scotland
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Applied
 5
 10
 17
 36
 44
 41
 41 (2 interim)


 Granted
 5
 9
 16
 34
 43
 37
 39 (5 interim)



  Note: * Sex offender orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

  Sexual offences prevention orders will be strengthened by provisions in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill.

Transport

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to build a tram line from Fife to Edinburgh Airport via South Queensferry.

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken or commissioned feasibility studies about the possibility of building a tram line from Fife to Edinburgh Airport via South Queensferry.

Stewart Stevenson: There are currently no plans to build a tram line from Fife to Edinburgh Airport via South Queensferry.

  However, intervention 25 of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) has recommended the provision of a light rapid transit system, initially bus-based over the Forth, providing improved connections across the Forth Estuary between the communities of Fife and the business and commercial opportunities in Edinburgh (including outlying areas such as Edinburgh Airport) and West Lothian.

  The detailed design and development of this intervention and its subsequent delivery will be subject to future spending reviews.